Machine for bagging and weighing grain.



PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905.

J. B. WILLIAMS.

MACHINE FOR BAGGING AND WEIGHING GRAIN.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15,1904.

nventor Httomegs Witness 5 'g UNITED STATES PATENT oFFroE.

MACHINE FOR BAGGING AND WEIGHING GRAIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

Application filed October 15, 1904. Serial No. 228,640.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minden, in the parish of Webster and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Machine for Bagging and I/Veighing Grain, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in machines for weighing and bagging grain of that general class shown and described in Letters Patent granted to me on the 18th day of August, 1903, under No. 736,663.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction and operation of the machine and to provide means whereby the movement of the -main valve will not be effected until one of the scale-beams has reached poise position, thereby effectually preventing any retarding action, and consequently rendering the weighing operation more positive and accurate.

A further object is to provide means for Weighing over the rolls into cars, mills, docks, and the like and, further, to provide the several cut-off valves with a marginal row of brush-bristles, so as to prevent undue rubbing or wear on said valves and their respective seats.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is an end view of a portion of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of the main valve detached. ig. 4: is a detail perspective of the bag or reaptacle holder detached. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of one of the bearings of the transverse shaft.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The frame of the machine, which may be formed of metal or other suitable material, is preferably forged or cast, as shown, and consists of the supporting-legs 5 and longitudinal side bars 6 and 7, the legs 5 being bent laterally to form feet 8, in which are journaled rollers 9, designed to engage depressions 10 in a platform or other suitable support 11, so as to prevent lateral and longitudinal movement of themachine during the weighing operation. Arranged on opposite sides of the supportingframeand secured in any suitable manner to the longitudinal side bars 6 and 7 are uprights 12, provided with terminal flanges 13, between which are supported the divergent chutes 14:

and 15, said chutes leading from a hopper 16, as shown.

Disposed within the hopper 16 at the juncture of the chutes 14 and is a main valve 17, which regulates the flow of grain and discharges the same alternately through said chutes. The valve 17 is rigidly secured to a rock-shaft 18, journaled in bearings formed in the flanges 13, said rock-shaft being provided with crank-arms 19 and 20, arranged at right angles to each other, as shown, and to which are pivoted depending rods or hangers 21 and 22, respectively, each provided with a terminal hook 23. Arranged in vertical alinement beneath the main valve 17 and journaled in a cross-brace 24 is a transverselydisposed shaft 25, also provided with rightangularly-disposed crank-arms 26 and 27, to which are connected, respectively, by means of pitman-rods 28 and 29 the inner ends of the scale-beams 30. The relative'position of the crank-arms 26 and 27 with respect to the pitman-rods is such that when either of the scale-beams is overbalanced the upward movement of the connecting-rod will bring said rod in direct alinement with its respective crank-arm or, in other words, on dead-center, as clearly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, thereby locking the valve 17 and preventing any further movement of the same until the opposite scale-beam is overbalanced. The depending rods 21 and 22 pass through guide-rollers 31, and the hooked ends 23 thereof extend in the path of movement of the crank-arms 26 and 27.

By having the crank-arms 26 and 27 arranged beneath the main valve in the manner described the movement of said valve to cut ofi the flow of grain to the chute 15 will not be effected until-the opposite scale-beam has reached poise position, thereby preventing any retarding movement of the scale-beams and rendering the machine extremely sensi: tive and accurate in operation.

The scale-beams extend longitudinally of the supporting-frame and are provided with terminal brackets 32, the latter being fulcrumed in the side bars 6 and 7, asindicated at 33. The scale-beams 30, which are graduated to pounds and have balance-cups 34 suspended from their inner ends, are each preferably provided with an auxiliary beam 35, graduated to ounces and fractions thereof. suitable weight-poises 36 being mounted for sliding movement on said auxiliary beams, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Fulcrumed on the brackets 32 by means of knife-edge pivots are rectangular frames or bag-holders 37, to which are secured in any suitable manner grain-receptacles 39, the bottoms of which are normally closed by pivoted doors 40, each of which is provided with a laterally-extending arm 41, having a weight 42 slidably mounted thereon, as shown. The doors 40 are normally held in closed position by pivoted catches 43, the long arms 44 of which extend in the path of suitable posts or standards 45, so that when one of the receptacles 39 is full of grain and the scale-beam to which it is attached is overbalanced the downward movement of said receptacle will cause the arm 44 to engage the standard, there by releasing the catch and permitting the grain to be discharged from said receptacle. As the scale-beam returns to poise position the upward movement of the receptacle releases the catch from contact with the standard, when the weight automatically closes the door.

As a means for preventing the column of grain or other material within the chutes from flowing into the grain-receptacles 39 after the scale-beams are overbalanced I provide auxiliary cut-off valves 46, pivoted within the chutes 14 and 15, respectively, and movable to open and closed positions through the medium of rods 47, one end of each of which is pivoted to the adjacent scale-beam and the opposite end thereof to the crank-arm 48 of the cut-off valve.

The main valve 17, cut-off valves 46, and the pivoted doors 40 are each provided with a marginal row of brush-bristles 49, retained in position in any suitable manner, as by metallic strips 50, (illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings) said bristles serving to prevent undue rubbing or wear of the valves and their seats and forming an effective barrier to the passage of the grain when said valves are closed. The transverse shaft 25 is preferably mounted in ball-bearings, thus insuring reduced friction and rendering the machine more accurate.

The frames or bag-holders 37 may be used for supporting ordinary grain-sacks when the receptacles 39 are detached, and for this purpose I provide the side bars 51 of the frame with terminal longitudinal slots 52, adapted to receive the reduced threaded ends of the adjustable end bars 53 and54, said bars being locked in adjusted position by clamping-nuts 55. Secured to or formed integral with the rear bar 53 is a horizontally-disposed plate 56, provided with an upturned rib or head 57, adapted to engage the mouth of the sack, and pivoted, as indicated at 58, to the opposite bar 54 is a similar plate 59, provided with an operating-handle 60. By this arrangement the plate 59 may be swung downwardly on its pivotal axis into engagement with the mouth of the sack and said sack securely clamped to the holder by swinging the plate upwardly and lockingthe latterin adjusted position by causing the teeth of the pivoted rack-bar 61 to engage the upper edge of said plate.

From the foregoing description it is thought that the construction and operation of the ma-- chine will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, and a further detail description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In an automatic weighing and bagging machine, a plurality of discharge-chutes, a single valve controlling the passage of material into said chutes, a plurality of movable members actuated alternately by the weight of the material, and means connected to both members and serving to operate the valve whereby the movement of said valve will not be effected until one of said members has reached substantially poise position.

2. In an automatic weighing and bagging machine, the combination with a frame, a hopper, discharge-chutes leading therefrom, a single valve disposed within the hopper for controlling the flow of material into said chutes, a shaft journaled in the frame beneath said valve and provided with terminal crankarms, scale-beams connected to said crankarms, and depending hangers pivoted to the valve and arranged in the path of movement of the crank-arms for operating said valve by themovement of the scale-beams.

3. In an automatic weighing and bagging machine, the combination with a frame. of a hopper, discharge-chutes leading therefrom, a single valve controlling the flow of material into said chutes, a shaft journaled in the frame beneath said valve and provided with terminal crank-arms, scale-beams connected to said crank-arms, depending h angers pivoted to the valve and provided with terminal hooks arranged in the path of movement of the crankarms for operating said valve, and means for guiding said depending hangers.

4. In an automatic weighing and bagging machine, the combination with a frame, of a hopper, discharge-chutes leading therefrom, a single valve arranged within the hopper for controlling the flow of material to said chutes, a shaft journaled in the frame beneath said hopper and provided with terminal crankarms, depending hangers pivoted to the valve and having their hooked ends arranged in the path of movement of the crank-arms, and an auxiliary valve controlling the discharge of material from each chute and operable alternately by the movement of the scale-beams, the main and auxiliary valves being provided with a marginal strip of yieldable material.

5. In an automatic weighing and bagging machine, a hopper, discharge-chutes leading therefrom, a single valve disposed within the hopper for controlling the flow of material into said chutes, a shaft disposed beneath the valve and provided with terminal crank-arms, scale-beams connected to said crank-arms, depending hangers pivoted to the valve and arranged in the path of movement of the crankarms, adjustable frames fulcrumed on the scale-beams, and grain-receiving receptacles carried by-the frames and provided with pivoted doors adapted to automatically open and discharge the material from said receptacles upon the downward movement of said scalebeam. 6. In an automatic Weighing and bagging machine, a hopper, discharge-chutes leading therefrom, a valve controlling the flow of 7. In an automatic weighing and bagging machine, the combination with a frame, of a hopper, discharge-chutes leading therefrom, a valve controlling the flow of material into said chutes, scale-beams fulcrumed on the frame, auxiliary beams secured to the main beams, balance-cups suspended from the inner ends of the main beams, and means connected to the main scale-beams and serving to shift the valve only when one of said main scale-beams has reached substantially poise position.

8. In an automatic weighing and bagging machine, the combination with a frame, a hopper, discharge-chutes leading therefrom, a single valve disposed within the hopper for controlling the flow of material into said chutes, a shaft journaled in the frame beneath said valve and provided with terminal crankarms, scale-beams connected to said crankarms, adjustable frames fulcrumed on the scale-beams, grain-receiving receptacles carried by the frames, and depending hangers pivoted to the valve and arranged in the path of movement of the crank-arms for operating said valve by the movement of the scale-be ams.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

ADELAIDE F. ADAMS, OTIS A. EARL. 

